San Diego  Hit with yet another sex crimes investigation into one of his officers, San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne said Saturday he is seeking an outside auditor to take a hard look at how the department handles misconduct and how it can better weed out rogue cops.

“We are very concerned about the case,” Lansdowne said in an interview.

“It’s all about public trust,” he said. Having an independent audit would “make sure everyone is on board and show how committed we are to doing the right thing.”

The arrest last week of Officer Christopher Hays, who is accused of inappropriately touching or forcing women to perform sex acts, opened old wounds in a city trying to heal from a rash of officer misconduct in recent years, including the 2011 sex corruption case of Officer Anthony Arevalos.

The latest allegations trouble hardworking officers who don’t want to be stereotyped — and the detectives who again have to investigate one of their own.

The case also raises questions about whether enough is being done by the chief and his top brass to ensure officers are behaving.

Lansdowne’s proposed audit would look at the handling of misconduct cases, recruiting, the backgrounding process, ethics training and the internal affairs system. The audit could take from six months to a year and a half, and potentially cost $80,000 to $200,000. The final report would be made public.

The city gave the chief permission to seek bids from two groups — Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit organization, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which operates under the U.S. Department of Justice. The directors of both groups told Lansdowne Saturday they could begin putting proposals together next month.

The chief will present the proposals to the City Council for final approval.

A pattern of misconduct

At least nine officers were investigated for criminal conduct in the first half of 2011, allegations that ranged from off-duty domestic violence and DUI to on-duty rape of a prostitute.

The actions of Arevalos were the most shocking. A jury convicted the traffic officer for a pattern of using his authority to elicit sexual favors from women he stopped. He is serving more than eight years in prison.

The city has so far paid $2.3 million in claims to Arevalos’ victims, and has paid $170,000 to settle lawsuits from three female officers claiming a sexually hostile work environment.

In 2012, traffic Sgt. Kevin Friedman, who was Arevalos’ supervisor, resigned after pleading no contest to destroying the traffic citation of a prosecutor friend.

In another instance, the son of a police captain got a ride part way home rather than to jail, after he was accused of drunkenly groping two women and punching a third. Months later, officers were accused of trying to delay a DUI crash investigation to help a gang detective sober up.

The investigation into Hays began just before Christmas, when a woman reported that he inappropriately frisked her after he drove her home.

Police went through all of Hays’ previous contacts with women and found three others who detailed similar behavior. When reports hit the news media, two more came forward, including one who said Hays forced her to perform a sex act with him.